13 Flames | gxg

11 - overthinking

Lexa

My eyes take in the giant warehouse in front of me, the 13 Flames logo above the door. I smile to myself and take a deep breath before pushing forwards. The door opens into an enormous room. The ceiling rises hundreds of feet above my head, metal beams crossing back and forth. The main set sits at the other end of the room. People rush around me, bustling between cameras and lights and set pieces. It's chaotic. It's beautiful.

I smile as I notice Sarah, our casting director, walking towards me. "Lexa!" she calls. She pulls me in for a hug when she reaches me. I've met her twice before, along with the director and executive producers. First at the audition, and again after I got the part.

"This place is amazing." I don't try to hide the wonder in my eyes.

Sarah laughs. "We try. Follow me, I'll show you the dressing rooms." She walks off, leaving me starstruck. I quickly recover and hurry after her. We head to the left of the set and she pushes through a door into a much smaller, much quieter hallway. The walls are painted a light blue, the carpet grey. Doors line the sides of the hall. As we pass I notice each of our names printed onto a flame decal. My door is the second on the left. I notice Palmer's room is directly across from mine.

Sarah pushes the door open and stands aside to let me through. I stop in the doorway, my eyes taking in the site in front of me. The entire far wall is covered in mirrors with lights around the edges. A closet sits all the way to the left, a couch to the left of the door. There's a small vanity with another mirror, any kind of makeup or beauty product you could dream of on display. Through a door set into the back wall I see the bathroom, complete with a vanity and shower. A small table sits to the right of the door, two chairs complementing it. I walk in and drop my bag on the couch.

"Wow," I breathe.

Sarah smiles at me in the mirror. "I'll see you on set in fifteen minutes."

I smile back. "Thank you." She nods and leaves the room with the door open. I stare at my reflection in the wall of mirrors, a sparkle in my eyes and a dopey grin on my face. I turn to the door as I hear voices coming from the hall.

I poke my head out and look down the hall to see another door open. I can hear the cast talking and laughing from inside. Smiling to myself, I head to join them. Alex's name is printed on the door. I knock on the frame and stand in the doorway.

"Lexa! Come on in!" Alex calls from his seat in front of the makeup vanity. His room is identical to mine, but with less beauty products. I smile and walk into the room. Braydon, Peyton, and Palmer sit on the couch.

Palmer glances up as I enter and catches my eye. She gives me a quick smile and I return it graciously.

After our first night in Vegas, I thought things would be weird between us. But the next morning it's as if nothing happened. All week we spent with the cast, but I've gotten to know her the best. There's just something about her, something so simple. She's already one of my closest friends. It makes no sense.

Palmer stands and crosses to the other side of the room, hopping onto the vanity beside Alex. I glance towards the couch and realize she moved for me. I smile at her again and take the seat in between Peyton and Braydon. The cushions remain warm from her body heat.

"So, Lexa, you like the set?" Peyton asks me.

"This place is amazing," I say again.

Palmer laughs. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too." She sits on the table with her legs hanging off and her ankles crossed. Her hands grip the edge and I notice she wears five rings across her fingers. She really likes rings.

Conversation continues around me but I find myself pulled into my own thoughts as I twist my engagement ring around my finger. James and I have hardly started planning. Every time I approach him about it he says he's busy, that we'll get to it later. I've begun to do some research on my own but I know I should wait for him.

Peyton notices my fingers fidgeting with the ring. "You guys pick a date yet?"

I force a smile. "Not yet. But I'm hoping for sometime in the fall."

"Oh, that's a great idea! I love the fall," Palmer calls across the room. She swings her legs back and forth, grinning like a little kid.

"Fall in LA is a little different than on the East Coast," Brayden points out with a smile.

Palmer frowns as if she just realized. "Oh. Right." Her smile falters as she gets a distant look in her eyes. The expression quickly disappears as she snaps back to the moment, her smile returning. "You could travel though! Go to New York or Boston or a nice town in Connecticut or–"

"Maybe I should ask you to plan the wedding," I joke. Probably would get more done with you than James. I frown as the thought crosses my mind.

"Sorry, I just–" Palmer notices my expression. She raises an eyebrow. "You good, Lex?"

"Yeah, sorry," I force out. "Just..."

"Overthinking?" she finishes with a smile.

I offer a brief smile back. "Yeah."

The room quiets for a moment as Palmer and I hold eye contact. I break away once I realize I'm staring at her.

I lean back in the cushions and try to ignore the others passing glances. Palmer doesn't seem to notice.

"Hey, we should head out to set," Peyton breaks the silence. "Sarah told us to be there soon."

The others nod in agreement and we stand. I let Brayden pass me on the way to the door and I follow the others. Just before I leave the room Palmer's hand finds my elbow.

"You sure you're okay?"

I smile. "Why wouldn't I be? This is the best day of my life."

She returns the grin. "You just got a little distant back there." She pauses. "If you need anything, let me know, okay?"

She smiles wider as I give her a sheepish look. My eyes catch on the single dimple in her cheek. She gives my elbow a squeeze before letting go and leaving the room. I follow her down the hallway, my eyes burning holes into her back while my head swims.